Warrior King

The Triumph and Betrayal of an American Commander in Iraq

By: Nathan Sassaman, Joe Layden

Narrated by: Eric Conger

Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

A West Point graduate, a former star quarterback who carried Army to its first bowl victory, and a courageous warrior who had proven himself on the battlefield time and again, Lt. Col. Nathan Sassaman was one of the most celebrated officers in the United States military. Commanding over 800 soldiers in the heart of the insurgency-ravaged Sunni Triangle in Iraq, his unit's job was to seek out and eliminate terrorists and loyalists to Saddam Hussein, while simultaneously rebuilding the region's infrastructure and introducing democratic processes to a broken people. Sassaman's tactics were highly aggressive, his methods innovative, and his success in Iraq nearly unparalleled.

Yet Sassaman will always be known for a fateful decision to cover up the alleged drowning of an Iraqi by his men, in which they forced two detainees to jump into the Tigris River. Sassaman's decision led to the downfall of his impressive career and sent shockwaves through the American military.

Warrior King is the explosive memoir of one of the most deeply involved members of the U.S. military in Iraq. This is the first audiobook to take listeners from the overnight brutality of combat to the daunting daytime humanitarian tasks of rebuilding Iraq to the upper echelons of the Pentagon to show how and why the war has gone horribly wrong.

©2008 Nathan Sassaman with Joe Layden (P)2008 Macmillan Audio

A Must-Read

Powerful. Couldn't put it down. An honest, raw account of the fog of war in Iraq in '03 - '04 timeframe. Read a bunch of articles (WSJ, NYT, LA Times, etc.) about LTCOL Sassaman and watched interviews on YouTube, including one from C-SPAN.
This guy is the real deal. An absolute stud. Incredibly authentic, brave, and brilliant. He should have been a general. No question. The US military needs more leaders like him, not less.

deja vu all over again.

sometimes ripping off the scab of a wound helps it to heal. this author revealed in this book The Truth and the reality of fighting with restraints that are not only imposed by the enemy but are imposed by the leaders in Washington and in the higher headquarters above the Fighting force.

Agree but disagree

Controversial decision making and strong ego but tells a side of the story that military leaders have to deal with. Ethical issues that arise in combat when you are trying to balance the life of your soldiers with following orders.

LTC Sassaman...out front in action and thought

As an Army officer, this book is a breath of fresh air. His West Point background notwithstanding, LTC Sassaman had the fortitude and conviction to make his own decisions, based on HIS observations. Thank God that this man chose not to subscribe to the politics associated with the zero defect officer corps...just do your time and don't make the boss mad, etc. This dynamic may be ok for garrison, but it is NOT a good policy in combat. He was the Battalion Commander....who in the world would be better situated to make the decisions he had to make? No one...not even his Brigade commander!! Rules and procedures that work well in one part of the battlespace do not necessarily work elsewhere---no more than an Alaska winter is the same as a Florida winter. He lost two Soldiers, as an INFANTRY battalion Commander who took the fight to the enemy. Field artillery battalions have lost many more---in LTC Sassaman's AOR...he was doing something right, and I like the odds associated with his style of leadership!

Great book!

My son served under LTC Sassaman and had great respect for him. After reading this book I can see that respect was well placed. LTC Sassaman was instrumental in seeing that my son and all the other mothers sons we brought home safely. For that I am eternally grateful.

WHINNY

I hate I almost listened to all of this. I have listened to almost every book that has come out of OEF/ OIF and this was not even comparable.
This was a Lt. Col sounding like a groveling E1 kicked out of basic for not being a good boy.